July 28, 2009
The State Historical Society of North Dakota preserves and interprets treasures from the past -- treasures meant to be shared and experienced. This Heritage Center is undergoing a renovation and the architect’s rendering above shows how it will look upon completion. In the meantime, it is open to the public and admission is free.
“The State wishes to give back to the people and all who visit here,” said the charming lady at the front desk. “That is why we will never charge admission.”
That made us feel very good and very welcome. It took several hours and some of the highlights we saw were a mastadon skeleton, tipis, bison up close, a very old John Deere tractor, a Model T Ford and many other old time artifacts.
There was a separate exhibit on the “cold war” period when North Dakota was dotted with missile silos in the ground, armed with nuclear warheads. However, we declined to take it in. We are generally aware that North Dakota still plays a major role in our nation’s defense, but the missiles in the underground launching pads are not armed with nuclear warheads.
Driving around North Dakota, we saw several missile sites. You can’t miss them, a small brown ranch house with white trim, surrounded by a high cyclone fence with circular razor wire at the top. Security is very tight and we would never go near one of these sites.
Oil is now a big thing for North Dakota, giving the state a real economic shot in the arm. There was an interesting model of an oil rig at the center. Newly discovered oil deposits, as vast as those in Alaska, have kept North Dakota’s unemployment rate down -- one of the best in the nation. Jobs are plentiful in North Dakota. However, we are retired and don’t feel like working any more.
The Heritage Center is on the State Capitol Campus -- across the street from the Capitol itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment